The Medical Council has published its Statement of Strategy for the next four years. This is the Medical Council’s fourth Strategic Plan and covers the period 2025 – 2028.
The Medical Council carried out an internal and external consultation and research process to inform the development of this strategy. The largest proportion of responses came from doctors, with a significant response from members of the public and patient representative organisations. Responses were also received from Medical Council members and staff within the Council.
The Statement of Strategy 2025 – 2028 covers four strategic themes:
Transform: “We will transform our services and supports to deliver effectively for doctors and the public.”
Balance: “We will use the full range of our regulatory powers to protect the public.”
Empower and Support: “We will create a regulatory environment that enhances the quality of patient care through empowering and supporting doctors.”
Invest: “We will invest in our people, culture and governance to achieve our objectives.”
President of the Medical Council, Dr Suzanne Crowe, said: “We are delighted to publish our new direction as an organisation, via our 2025 – 2028 Statement of Strategy. We carefully developed this strategic plan to reflect our core promise of ‘Protecting the public through effective medical regulation’, ensuring that patient safety remains central to our organisation’s mission, while balancing the need to support doctors through medical regulation.
“As part of the development of this new strategy, we listened to our stakeholders and examined the fundamental elements of our organisation’s positioning, including our purpose, vision, and values”, Dr Crowe said.
CEO of the Medical Council, Dr Maria O’Kane, added: “Our research shows that doctors are one of the most trusted professions in Ireland. It is our role, as the regulator of doctors, to uphold this trust and confidence in the profession by ensuring that doctors meet the highest standards of competence and professional conduct.
“Our regulatory role spans the entire lifecycle of a doctor’s career. From the time a student decides to apply to medical school, the Medical Council is present, accrediting undergraduate medical education. We stay with doctors through internship and specialist training with our quality assurance model and throughout their careers in our role in the maintenance of professional competence, while also supporting international medical graduates through their first time registration, as with all doctors with annual registration retention.
“The engagement we received during the consultation on our strategy was high. We thank everyone who contributed, and we look forward to continued engagement with doctors, the public, and our other key stakeholders in the delivery of our strategy over the next four years”, Dr O’Kane concluded.
The Medical Independent recently revealed that the Council plans to increase doctors’ annual retention fees due to serious concerns about its financial sustainability (click here).
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